architects and urban designers

First Street Superstructure

Location: Manchester UK

Programme: 2008

Client: Ask Developments

Contract Value: £2.5m

A chance remark led to an exploratory project to add amenity space and retail units to the nascent First Street development, temporary home of Manchester City Council. The proposal was for a raised garden and exercise space with high quality landscape raised above street level. Below flexible low-cost units were created with the specific aim of enabling entrepreneurial creative start-ups to find their feet.

The structure was developed with Atelier One using plate steel columns and standard motorway pre-cast units that could accommodate the large spans with the depth to hold the water and earth reservoirs needed for the landscape.